Textile
This entry was posted on 11/3/2008 7:03 PM and is filed under New Openings,New American Upscale.
We've been waiting and watching with anticipation for the opening of this new Scott Tycer restaurant. Located in an old textile mill where he operates Kraftsmen Baking, Textile is Chef Tycer's latest foray into the restaurant world after first shuttering the much acclaimed Aries and then the less popular, more casual Pic. For now, Textile is only open for dinner on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. Reservations are required.
With just ten tables, there's a notable sense of intimacy in this contemporary, sophisticated setting. The high ceiling is draped in pieces of white cloth, like sails on a sailboat. One side of the room is lined with an upholstered banquette against a wall covered in a suede like material. The lighting is subdued. Fresh flowers and white linens adorn the tables. There's a small bar with a few seats. No television or pulsing music. Conversation flows easily. The service is friendly and gracious. But the emphasis here is clearly on the food. And Textile does not disappoint.
We'll dispense with the negative first -- the 5-course Tasting Menu is overpriced at $85 per person. If we'd looked at the menu, we wouldn't have ordered the Tasting Menu as all the items are available on the a la carte menu, in larger portions, for a total of about $10 more. (Contrary to the statement on the website, the a la carte menu is not limited.) One of the problems we perceived with Aries was that it was pricey but too cutting edge to be a regular destination restaurant for the Tony's and Mark's crowd. With only ten tables and assumably less overhead than at Aries, Chef Tycer can take more risks. But Houston isn't particularly familiar with the Tasting Menu concept, so he needs to be careful with the pricing. And, at that price, for only five courses, at least one of the appetizers should have included a high end menu item, such as the foie gras or scallops.
All that being said, every dish was beautifully executed and delicious. The amuse bouche was a smoked sturgeon chowder. The salad was made of the freshest bibb lettuce, with a sherry vinaigrette, sided by a lush Texas blue cheese. The bacon tart, like a gooey quiche, with wilted greens and a basted quail egg, was first rate. The delicate kona kampachi was served over julienned vegetables. Probably the tastiest item of the evening was the braised veal breast with truffled hollandaise -- as decadent and delectable as it sounds. We could have each eaten at least two servings of that dish. We finished with a pumpkin version of a molten chocolate cake with ice cream. The one of us who enjoys pumpkin desserts declared it fabulous. The ordinary tasting bon bons were our only disappointment of the evening. All desserts and confections are made on site.
We opted for the wine pairings. The pairings were well chosen, and, at $55 per person, although not inexpensive given the quality of the wine, the price was fair. The wine list is limited and reasonably priced. We understand the restaurant also specializes in cocktails with interesting mixers.
There's no question we'll be back. Probably sooner than later. But we'll select our own tasting menu.
611 West 22nd Street
832/209-7177
http://www.textilerestaurant.com/1801.html
